Wednesday, May 7, 2014

CD Review: The Die Youngs Turn The Left-Overs Into Indie-Magic

Singer/guitarist Denny Smith certainly keeps himself busy. Fronting the bands The Great Affairs and fORMER before that and now he has added his latest venture to the list, The Die Youngs. The band came together when Smith and The Great Affairs drummer, Kenny Wright began playing around in the studio with songs that were left over from previous Great Affairs' albums. They decided that the songs were too good to throw away, so they assembled an all-star supporting cast which includes members of Sugarland, John Fogerty's and Travis Tritt's bands and many others. What came of those recording sessions is the self-titled debut album from The Die Youngs.

Beginning with the uptempo rocker "As Fine As You Are," you notice that these songs have a loose feel that allows the musicians to take to songs to new heights. The alternative rock of "Dirty On The Stereo" and the country mainstream appeal of "Let Me Go" shows that these songs definitely deserved their day in the sun. The song styles are a bit of a "mixed bag" of genres, but that is what also makes that album so attractive, not knowing which direction the music is taking you. The song "That's My Girl" is a hit single waiting to be discovered, while "I Am Reborn" is perfectly titled for this release as a fresh, new energy is injected into the music.